Chien-Ming Wang throws four scoreless innings as Potomac - 棒球

By Hugh Rist | For the News & Messenger
Published: July 02, 2011

Perhaps it was the major leaguer who was making a rehabilitation start on the
mound.

It might have been the fact they drew the largest home crowd of the season.

Or it could have been the desire to get the taste of a lackluster
performance Friday night out of their mouths.

Whatever the reason, the Potomac Nationals put on their best performances of
the second half, not to mention the season, by making several sparkling
defensive plays, putting together a string of clutch hits, and getting
brilliant pitching on the mound en route to a 14-1 victory Saturday before a
crowd of 6,911 at Pfitzner Stadium.

Certainly the buzz and electricity generated by Nationals’ righthander
Chien-Ming Wang, who was making just his second professional start since
2009, was one of the big stories of the night and justifiably so. Wang, who
has not pitched for the Washington Nationals, was once the ace of the New
York Yankees pitching staff after winning 19 games in consecutive seasons in
2006-07 and going 8-2 in 2008 before injuries derailed his career a bit.

Wang, who is rehabilitating an injured right shoulder after initially
injuring his foot during his last major league appearance on July 4, 2008,
improved upon his first rehabilitation outing, during which he allowed two
runs in three innings. In addition, his velocity improved from the high-80s
in the first start to the low 90s in this start.

Officially, Wang threw between 86-88 mph on the radar gun in the first two
innings, before increasing to 90-91 in the final two innings.

Wang threw a perfect first inning, making seven pitches without throwing a
ball. Two of the three outs he recorded in the frame were ground balls.

In the second, Wang walked third baseman John Whittleman before inducing
first baseman Ryan Stovall to hit into a double play. However, it took a
brilliant, backhanded play in the hole at shortstop by Francisco Soriano to
start the double play. After that play, Wang walked center fielder Tim
Ferguson, who stole second and took third on a wild pitch. But he struck out
catcher Jose Bonilla on a breaking ball that moved low and inside to retire
the side. In the inning, he threw 17 pitches, only six for strikes.

In the top of the third, Wang retired Joey Lewis on a pop fly to first before
Gerard Hall reached on a bunt single. Then with Hall running on the play,
Souza speared a line drive by Whit Merrifield and doubled off Hall at first
to retire the side. In the inning, Wang made eight pitches, including five
for strikes.

In the top of the fourth, Wang fanned Testa looking on three pitches before
getting Nick Van Stratten to bounce to second on the first pitch and retiring
Whittleman on a grounder to third.



Overall, of the 12 outs Wang recorded, 11 were notched on the infield. He
also made 38 pitches, 24 for strikes. He threw four scoreless innings,
walking two, allowing one hit, and striking out one.

“I felt pretty good,” Wang said through an interpreter. “Only in the
second inning was I a little uncontrollable, but that was okay. Of course,
[with some of the defensive plays made behind me], I was able to trust them
and that allowed me to be more aggressive and put the ball where I wanted.”

Wang said he threw only two breaking balls all night, relying on a mixture of
sinking two-seam and four-seam fastballs to keep the hitters off balance and
said he was happy with his velocity. He said he has not been told about the
timetable going forward.

“The only thing I know is I am coming back here tomorrow and getting my work
in,” Wang said through the interpreter. We’ll take it game by game and let
them [team officials] tell me where to go next and go from there.”

P-Nats catcher Brian Peacock, who has caught several major leaguers on
rehabilitation assignments during his five seasons with the team, said he was
happy that Wang did so well.

“He’s just an unbelievable person and treats us so good,” Peacock said. “
He’s worked so hard. Hopefully, he will be able to get back to the big
leagues really soon. He was throwing very well and did what he wanted to do.”

At one point, Wang shook off Peacock, who went out to the mound to talk to
him, despite not knowing much Chinese.

“I’ve actually tried to brush up on it, once I knew he was going to be here,
” Peacock said, tongue-in-cheek. “I called what he wanted to throw, just
not the location [he wanted], so I spoke as clearly as I could to try to get
on the same page. He wanted the sinker in and I called it away. Major league
pitchers know what they want to do, so I just try to get into sync with them.
”

Potomac (34-45 overall, 5-5 in the second half) appeared buoyed by the pomp
and circumstance that surrounded Wang’s start, pounding 18 hits, including
four home runs and eight extra-base hits. The P-Nats got a bit of a rally
going with two outs in the bottom of the second as J. P. Ramirez, who has 12
hits in his past 30 at bats (.400) over the past seven games, reached on an
infield single and moved to third on a looper to left by Brian Peacock. J. R.
Higley then drilled a single to left and Potomac manager Matt LeCroy waved in
Ramirez, who was thrown out at the plate trying to score by left fielder
Carlo Testa.

The P-Nats flexed their muscles in the sixth, blasting two homers. Francisco
Soriano made it 3-0 lead in the sixth, drilling a one-out solo shot to right
for his second homer of the season. Kobernus then beat out an infield single
before stealing his league-leading 31st base of the season. Moments later,
Destin Hood, who had missed the previous two games due to knee soreness,
drilled a homer over the right center field fence to make it 5-0.

Wilmington scored off reliever Mitchell Clegg in the sixth as Hall roped a
triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Merrifield. Clegg allowed a run on
four hits in two innings of relief.

Potomac got the run back in the seventh as Kobernus singled, moved to third
on a double by Hood, and scored on an infield grounder by Bloxom. Hood later
scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-1.

Neil Holland worked out of a base- loaded, one-out jam in the eighth,
retiring Ryan Stovall on a liner to the mound and Tim Ferguson on a fly ball
to center.

Potomac collected seven hits in a seven-run eighth inning, including a solo
homer by Peacock, who led off the eighth by smashing a 1-0 pitch over the
left-field fence to give the Nationals an 8-1 lead before Hood stroked a
three-run homer to left. Peacock, who began the eighth with the homer, capped
the inning with a two-run triple. The Nationals recorded four multi-run
innings in the game.

Peacock wondered aloud if he had set some kind of record with a homer and a
triple in the same inning.

“I was seeing the ball really well all night,” Peacock said. “It’s one of
those things where good hitting is contagious and when one of us gets going,
we all start going.”

Peacock, normally the backup catcher, who played right field at the end of
Friday night’s game, then found himself starting Saturday, said he wanted to
take advantage of the opportunity he was given.

“I think everyone knows I am not a right fielder, though I have played some
outfield before,” Peacock said. “I’m a catcher. But when I get into the
lineup, I’m going to bust my [butt] and do everything I can to help the team
win. I think we’ve been playing great defense in the second half and I think
we are starting to play much better as a team. This kind of night shows that.
It was a great night.”

NOTES—Bloxom, starting pitcher Paul Denmy, and reliever Joe Testa were
presented awards by members of the Potomac Nationals booster club before the
game. Bloxom, who had a 10-game hitting streak at one point during June, was
chosen as offensive player of the month. Denmy, who had a 4-2 record during
June and finished the month by notching a career high eight strikeouts
against Winston Salem, was chosen as starting pitcher of the month. Testa,
who finished the month by hurling two scoreless innings against Kinston was
chosen as relief pitcher of the month. Hood and Kobernus were also recognized
for their selections to the Carolina League All-Star team…Dave Vincent, one
of the two official scorers employed by the P-Nats, celebrated the 20th
anniversary of scoring his first game at then County Stadium and was saluted
with a standing ovation before the home half of the seventh inning.


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